Reporter: What's your message to those people who are out there tonight? Not the peaceful protesters that are out there protesting for the rights of immigrants, but for the people that are doing damage to buildings?
Newsom: They’re doing more than just damage to buildings and property. They’re potentially damaging the very foundation of our republic. Democracy is in the balance.
I mean, you’re seeing these authoritarian tendencies now being acted out by this administration. And we’re a case in point, as it relates to nationalizing—federalizing—the National Guard. They’re now even threatening to bring in the Marines.
I hope people pause and just consider. Some of them actually want this kind of chaos. In some ways, they’re adjacent to where Donald Trump is.
But the peaceful protesters—we want to keep them safe. We want them to exercise their fundamental rights. And we want to keep those who are enforcing the laws—respectfully and responsibly—safe as well.
But Donald Trump needs to pull back. He needs to stand down. Donald Trump is inflaming these conditions. This is Donald Trump’s problem now. And if he can’t solve it, we will.